Car-brake.



E. G. LOPGREN.

CAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED 11011.15, 1910.

' 1,000,684, Patented Aug. 15,1911.

WITNESSES: H 5, 11v VENTOR.

W B I 1-.

. 04 I ORNE COLU C'O WASHINGTON D C uNTTEo STATES PATENT curios.

EDWARD G. LOFGREN, 0F TOLLAND, COLORADO.

CAR-BRAKE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD G. LOIFGREN, a subject of Gustave V, King ofSweden, having declared my intent-ion to become a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Tolland, in the county of Gilpin andState of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar- Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in car-brakes andmore particularly in brake mechanisms designed to be applied toore-cars, hand-cars, gravity-cars and other conveyers whose movementsare controlled by muscular action of the operator.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a brake mechanism ofsimple construction, which, when actuated by pressure of the foot,automatically locks the brakeblocks in frictional contact with thewheeltreads until by a similar operation, they are unlocked and returnedto their normal position.

A further object of my invention resides in the provision of a mechanismwhich permits of placing the brake shoes above the horizontal plane ofthe wheel-axis.

In mines, quarries and similar workings, in which the cars to which myinvent-ion is particularly adapted, are mostly used, the tracks aregenerally uneven and obstructed by rocks and debris and when the brakesare applied at the lower portions of the wheels, the uneven condition ofthe track will often cause derailment of the car, while the dirt androcks on the track, frequently interfere with the operation of the brakeand cause breakage of the parts of which it is composed.

In the accompanying drawings, in the various views of which like partsare similarly designated, Figure 1 representsa side elevation of an orecar equipped with my improved mechanism, the upper portion of thecar-body having been broken away. Fig. 2, a plan view of the truck towhich the mechanism is applied. Fig. 3, an end View of the said trucklooking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, and Fig. 4, a verticalsection taken along the line 44, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 2 designates the car-box which,adjacent its forward end, is pivotally mounted upon the car-truck whichis composed of a suitable Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 15, 1910.

Patented Aug. 15, 1911. Serial No. 592,558.

frame 3 and two pairs of wheels 4. The carboX 2 is held in its normalposition upon the truck by means of a hand-lever 5, the lower portion ofwhich has a detent adapted to lock with a catch 6 at the rear end ofthetruck frame 3 to which they are fulcrumed.

at their forward ends, and they are pivotally attached to the upwardlyprojecting arms 8 of a yoke 8 which constitutes the brake-beam of themechanism and whose body portion extends below the truck frame inbetween the pairs of wheels upon which the latter is mounted. The bodyportion of the yoke is connected with a superposed part of the truckframe by a coiled spring 9 which serves to maintain the lever 7 in itsuppermost position, which is determined by the engagement of thecross-bar 7 with a stop on the truck, which in the construction shown,is provided by the before mentioned catch 6.

The brake blocks 10, which are disposed above the horizontal plane ofthe wheelaxes, are pivotally secured at opposite ends of two equalizinglevers 12 which are fulcrumed upon the upper extremities of theyoke-arms 8 and, when the lever 7 is in its normal uppermost position,these blocks are spaced from the wheel-treads as is shown in Fig. l ofthe drawings.

A rod 13 whose extremities are loosely connected with the body portionof the yoke 8 and one of the wheel-axles 4, is provided to preventlateral deflection of the yoke about its points of pivot on the lever 7,and to thus maintain the brake blocks at all times in their properposit-ion relative to the respective wheels.

The device by which the lever 7 is automatically locked in its adjustedposition, in which the motion of the car wheels is retarded or arrestedby the frictional contact of the blocks' 10, comprises a lever 14 whichis fulcrumed upon one of the lever-members 7 adjacent the rearmost endthereof, and which has a pawl 15 formed at one of its extremities, toengage the teeth of a ratchetbar 16 which is rigidly secured upon theadjacent side of the truck-frame 3. The arm 14 of the lever 14 oppositeto that which carries the pawl 15, is bent in parallel relation to thecross-bar 7 c of the lever 7 and it has a projection 14 which is engagedby the free extremity of a spring 17, the opposite end of which issecured to the said cross-bar.

When the parts comprised in the brake I spring 9, and the detent 15 onthe arm of the lever 14, extends above the toothed bar 16. When theoperative in charge of a con veyer equipped with the improved brake'mechanism, desires to arrest or retard its motion, he moves thebrake-blocks simultaneously in engagement with the treads of therespective car-wheels by pressure of the foot upon the cross-bar 7.During the consequent movement of the lever 7 about its fulcrum, thedetent 15 on the lever lt is brought in engagement with the teeth of thebar 16 and is, by the action of the spring 17 maintained in its adjustedposition, to lock the lever 7 and the brake-blocks connected therewith,against retrograde movement. To release the brake, the pawl isdisengaged from the toothed bar, by pressing the foot upon the bent arm14 of the lever 14, after which the spring 9 returns the parts to their7 normal position.

It will be understood that changes in the arrangement and constructionof the several part-s comprised in the brake mechanism as shown anddescribed, may be availed of within the spirit of the invention and thatwhile the said mechanism is particularly adapted for use on ore-cars itmay be readily applied to hand-cars and other conveyers of the sametype.

Having thus described my invention what- I claim and'desire to secure byLetters-Pat.

ent is 1. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car-truck,a lever including members extending at opposite-sides of the truck and aconnecting cross-bar extending beyond one end of the same, a yokepivotally connected with the said members and brake blocks connectedwith the said yoke.

2. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car truck, a leverincluding members extending at opposite sides of the truck, a yokepivotally connected with the said members, equalizing levers fulcrumedon the said yoke, and brake blocks attached to the said equalizinglevers.

3. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car truck, a leverincluding members extending at opposite sides of the truck, a yokepivotally connected with the said members, brake blocks connected withthe said' yoke, and means to limit the movement of said yoke about itspivotal axis.

4. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car-truck, a leverincluding members extending at opposite sides of the truck, a yokepivotally connected with the said members, brake-blocks connected withthe said yoke, and a member loosely connecting said yoke with arelatively fixed part of the truck. 7

5. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car-truck, a leverincluding members extending at opposite sides of the truck, a yokepivotally connected with the said members, brake-blocks connected withthe said yoke, a stop on the truck to limit the movement of said leverin one direction, and a spring between said yoke and the truck toresiliently maintain the said lever in engagement with the said stop.

6. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car truck, a leverincluding members extending at opposite sides of the truck, a yokepivotally .connected with the said members, brake blocks connected withthe said yoke, a stop on the truck to limit the movement of said leverin one direction, a spring to resiliently maintain the said lever inengagement with the said stop, a toothed bar on the truck, and a detenton the said lever, adapted to maintain it in its adjusted position byengagement with the said bar.

7. A brake mechanism comprising in combination with a car truck, atransverse member, having a vertical movement thereon, equalizing leversfulcrumed at opposite ends of the said member, brake blocks separatelymounted at the ends of said levers and normally spaced from thetruck-wheelsabove the horizontal planeof their axes, a spring formaintaining the said member 1n its normal position, and a lever formoving the said member downwardly against the action of the spring,whereby the blocks are brought in engagement with the respect ve wheels.

8. A brake mechanism comprismg 1n combination with a car truck, brakeblocks normally spaced from the wheels thereof, a lever operativelyassociated wlth sald blocks and adapted to be moved by foot pressure,and a device adapted to automatically lock the parts in their adjustedposition and to release the same when actuated by pressure of the foot.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD G. LOFGREN.

Witnesses:

EARL F. L. RUssELL, CHARLEY L. JoHNsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

